Chasing ghosts
by Skovko
Summary: Waiola's friends disappeared months ago. The police seems to have given up on finding them but she hasn't. After sending a message for help through television, she got a call from a man who says he knows something. Now she's in an unknown town meeting a stranger, hoping to find her friends.


Waiola stepped into the dark bar and looked around. It wasn't a place she would ever have set foot on her own free will. To be honest she would never have travelled to this town if it hadn't been for that phone call.

She had reached out through television in hopes of finding her best friend and her best friend's boyfriend. The couple had disappeared three months ago after travelling together and no one had heard anything. The police seemed to have given up but Waiola hadn't. She was gonna find them or die trying. After appearing on tv, a man had called her.

 _"Hello, my name is Elias."_

No last name but that didn't matter. He said he knew where they were and he would be willing to tell her if she came to him alone without telling anybody. She knew it was a high risk but something in his voice made her believe him. And she had to know.

"Waiola?" A long haired man came up to her.  
"Elias?" She recognized his voice.  
"Let's get out of here before anyone sees us together. It's not safe," he said.  
"What's not..." She started.

He pulled her out of the bar before she finished that question. He looked around frantically while keeping his hand on her arm and leading her towards the parked cars.

"Which one's yours?" He asked.  
"The red one," she answered.  
"I'm driving," he held out his hand. "Keys."

She handed him the keys and got into the car. She knew it was dangerous to put all her trust in a stranger like that but she was at a dead end. He seemed to be her only way forward. He turned his head and took a long look at the gold blonde haired beauty with the midnight blue eyes next to him.

"You're really pretty, you know that?" He started the car.  
"I don't know," she squirmed a bit in her seat.  
"Relax, I'm not hitting on you. I just think you're pretty. Your friend. She didn't have your blonde hair. Her hair was like a carrot. Too wild for me," he said.  
"You've seen her?" She asked surprised.  
"Her and that man she was travelling with," he answered.  
"Do you know where they are?" She was desperate.  
"I'll take you to where I last saw them," he said.

They drove for a while until they reached a beach on the edge of town. He parked the car and they got out together.

"We got a bit of a walk ahead. I met them way down this beach. They were in a secluded area where normally I'm the only one to go," he said.  
"It's okay. Maybe they left some sort of trail behind that can lead me to them or at least point me in the right direction," she said.

They walked for nearly fourty minutes. When he had said a bit of a walk, she had imagined five, maybe ten, minutes. She watched as the water slowly moved closer as they walked.

"Almost there," he said.

She couldn't see anything other than a cage out in the water. The tide had covered half of it. She didn't know if it was used to catch crabs or something weird like that. He suddenly stopped, kicked off his shoes and looked at her. She looked around but there was nothing but sand there.

"You met them here?" She asked.  
"I brought them here," he answered.  
"You what?" She asked.

He attacked her without warning. She fought back the best she could but he was way stronger than her. A chill went through her when she felt the cold ocean water on the legs. He was dragging her out in the water. He forced her into the cage and locked it with a padlock.

"Elias!" She shook the bars. "Please! Let me out!"  
"The tide is already half way up. I expected you to arrive earlier so I could have enjoyed the full show like I usually do," he said.  
"Let me out of here!" She screamed.  
"Your friends went the same way," he gave her a cold smile. "Don't worry, you'll see them again soon. I'll bury you next to them."

He walked back in on dry land, grabbed his shoes from the sand and moved up to where he knew the water wouldn't hit before sitting down in the sand, resting his arms on his knees and watching her. The water came quickly. She fought against the cage on all sides but nothing happened.

"Elias!" She tried one last time. "Please!"

That cold smile was still plastered on his face but he didn't move one bit or even say anything. He just watched as the cage slowly disappeared under water. A sight he could never get tired of.


End file.
